AIADMK asks BJP to walk out of J-K alliance

Raking up the controversy over release of separatist leader Masrat Alam in the Lok Sabha, AIADMK MPs on Tuesday asked the BJP to walk out of the coalition government in the state led by the PDP for its ‘anti-national’ act of releasing Alam.

Raking up the controversy over release of separatist leader Masarat Alam in the Lok Sabha, AIADMK MPs on Tuesday asked the BJP to walk out of the coalition government in the state led by the PDP for its ‘anti-national’ act of releasing Alam.

“We are not satisfied with the explanation tendered by the government,” AIADMK MP, P Venugopal, told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, referring to statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh in the House a day before.

The AIADMK is the third largest party in the Lok Sabha with 37 members, next only to the BJP and the Congress. It is not part of the NDA but often extends its support to the Modi government.

Determined to make the party’s opposition to Alam’s release known, two AIADMK MPs — Venugopal and Anwar Raza —asked the Centre to come clean on clarifications sought by the home ministry. Modi had on Monday denounced Alam’s release and Singh had said his ministry had sought clarifications from the state government over the issue.

Venugopal said what has “added insult to injury” is that the state chief minister has asked the police to release a dozen more separatists, including some political prisoners.

His party colleague Anwar Raza said the Mufti government should be dismissed as it was “acting against sovereignty of the nation.”